Wild 2, Kings 1: Charlie Coyle and Cal Clutterbuck scored 16 seconds apart in the first period and Niklas Backstrom made it stand up with 22 saves as host Minnesota edged Los Angeles.

Clutterbuck's tally snapped an 18-game goalless skid as the Wild ended a two-game slide and maintained their spot in seventh place in the Western Conference. Minnesota leads eighth-place Columbus by two points and Detroit by three.

Jeff Carter scored his 26th goal and Jonathan Bernier turned aside 23 shots as the Kings endured their sixth straight one-goal game (4-1-1). Los Angeles remains in fourth place in the West, owning the tiebreaker over San Jose while sitting one point clear of St. Louis.

Zach Parise wristed a centering pass to Coyle, who sent the puck past Bernier on the glove side with 3:39 left in the first period. Clutterbuck scored from a tough angle seconds later, sending a wrist shot from the left boards under the crossbar to make it 2-0.

Carter got the Kings on the board with one second remaining in the middle session as his wrist shot from the high slot sailed over Backstrom’s shoulder. The goal was upheld upon review, sneaking into the net before the end of the period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Minnesota had been outscored 10-2 in its previous two games. … The Wild will host Edmonton on Friday before finishing the regular season at Colorado on Saturday. … Los Angeles will help determine Minnesota’s fate with a trip to Detroit on Wednesday.